EARTHQUAKE, Nepal - 25th April 2015

Namaste.
Life is full of surprises!! I was sitting in my room reading at about midday on Saturday, when everything began to shake. An earthquake!

We had a few small tremors recently, but this was totally different. This time the whole building was shaking vigorously and I could hear crashes as things fell. I rushed down the stairs - my flat is on the third floor - reached the metal gate four flights of stairs down, and realised I needed my key to unlock it and get out. The key was back upstairs! Seconds later I had fetched it, unlocked the gate and was out in the back garden climbing the terraces to get away from the buildings.  Amazing how fast you can travel when your life may depend on it.  All my neighbours had streamed out of their houses and everyone was out on the street or on the hillside. Many were calling and shouting, children crying too, loud creaking and banging coming from the nearby buildings.  I stood on the hillside experiencing the shaking, waiting for it to stop and realised how terrified I felt. My heart was thumping hard in my chest, a product of all the adrenalin being pumped around my body.

Looking at the houses below, we could see the glass in windows vibrating, and one window popped out with a crash.  Time was passing slowly - the earthquake seemed to last a long time, but in reality it was less than two minutes from start to finish.
Once the shaking stopped, many people were checking on each other, was everyone all right? Nobody seemed hurt although all were very shaken. There was no noticeable damage to the buildings around us either, except for a few broken windows.
One knowledgeable man was telling everyone they must stay outside "there will be an aftershock soon!" He said. Within 30 minutes the first aftershock came, not as long or as violent as the first quake, but equally scary, despite the fact that we were all waiting for it.

The man, who lives in the top flat over the road from mine, had left his elderly parents inside, too old to rush down. He was trying to phone them, but of course, the communications were down. He told me that he was 49 and had never experienced anything as bad as this before, that made me realised this was a serious quake! We had been warned during our initial training that Nepal was due for a big earthquake, the last was in 1934, when Kathmandu had been very badly damaged, but you never expect it to happen to you.
After a while I noticed someone had a phone connection, and hurriedly texted my daughter in Britain to say I was all right which was fortunate because we then lost all contact for several hours. In the meantime she was able to inform everyone at home that I was safe.

Many Besisahar people preferred to remain outside for most of the day, which was sensible given the frequent aftershocks we were experiencing. Everywhere there were groups of people, sitting on steps or waste ground, waiting - too frightened to return into their homes.  After the first bigger aftershock fortunately the others that day were small. Even once heavy rain began falling most people stayed undercover but close to exits so they could get out quickly. No one was taking the risk of being caught in a falling building.

People in the street - safer than indoors with the risk of
further aftershocks.

Jude, my VSO colleague and I decided to stay together, for company and to share news etc. We were concerned about the abundance of electricity wires over the streets, which would be dangerous should they fall, so collected some things including our emergency bags, which VSO had instructed us to keep ready at all times, and made for the local hotel which has grassy gardens and open space. We felt safer in its single storey buildings and dry when the rain came, and as a bonus the hotel had Internet connection, so we could keep in contact with what was happening in the rest of the region. Gradually news filtered through with the details of the quake - some in texts from friends and family in the UK, where it was headlines on the BBC early morning news. Kathmandu seemed to be very badly hit, and reports of deaths and photos of buildings collapsing emphasised the gravity of the earthquake. 7.9 on the Richter scale, which was big! Someone from VSO phoned to check we were safe and unhurt. Fortunately she was able to report that all VSO Nepal staff and volunteers are safe and well.

As darkness fell we saw television reports of the rescue of people from collapsed buildings in Kathmandu, the wreckage of historic buildings and temples that I had visited with my family ten days ago, and the huge cracks in the roads. What devastation! How lucky we were that Besisahar, although closer to the epicentre of the earthquake than Kathmandu, had not suffered nearly so badly.

We were still experiencing aftershocks as we ate supper at the hotel, and later decided that it would be a good place to sleep, so we could get out quickly if another quake happened. We had been joined by two work colleagues who also lived in upstairs flats and felt unsafe.  After collecting blankets from Jude's flat we bedded down, fully clothed, on the floor of the meeting room. Many Nepalis had a similar idea and the covered terraces outside were a mass of sleeping families.

During the night there were aftershocks at around 11pm, 2.30am and 5am; each time we quickly got up and left the building. After the last we decided there was no point in trying to sleep further, as everyone around us was talking and moving around. We all checked our phones and emails for further news, and started the new day.

Another big aftershock came on Sunday morning, just more than 24 hours after the first, at around 12.30. In bare feet I rushed out of the office, down the stairs and ran for the vegetable terrace over the road, away from the possibility of falling masonry. 6.7 on the Richter scale this time and lasting for about a minute.  After that everyone in the town seemed to have given up the idea of work, all shops had their shutters down and people were sitting in relatively open spaces, where they felt safer, in family groups on mats under tent-like tarpaulins for shade. Many slept there overnight too, despite more heavy rain.

Tarpaulin shelter - overnight accommodation for at least 30 people.

We VSO volunteers have offered our services in humanitarian aid if needed, but only time will tell if we can be of any use.  It is difficult to predict how long it will take for Nepal to get back to normal.  This is a huge tragedy for such a poor nation, already struggling to bring itself into the twenty-first century, and develop an infrastructure in such a difficult terrain.  It will be several days before the final death toll can be reported, especially from remote communities in the hills. Foreign aid has been promised by many countries, and will be of great help.
If you can afford to, please donate to a relief fund to help the victims of this calamity.

Bathtime in Sauraha

Namaste
Everyone seemed to be making for the river. From paths and side lanes they trouped.  The village of Sauraha seemed filled with excitement  What was happening? Why the hurry of these huge animals towards the river?

Time for a bath, jumbo style!

I think I'll sit down in the water.

Nothing beats communal bathing.

Just a little sideways roll.

I do like to be scrubbed behind the ears.

If I time it right I should be able to shower my keeper!

Got him that time!

That's better, now I'm fresh and cool.

Bees

Namaste
While staying in one of the hilltop villages when working in the rural school there, my host Khambi decided to remove the honey from one of her hives.  It was early in the morning, 7am, well before she left for the school where she teaches.
The sun was just coming up over the surrounding hills and the light was beautiful. The smoke she used to subdue the bees glowed in the sunlight, and I watched entranced, as she worked. The honey dripping and oozing from the frame, was really golden with the sun streaming through it. Magical!

Later, when I returned from visiting the early morning coaching class, I was presented with a saucer of fresh honey to taste, straight from the hive.  What a privilege!

Bandipur

Namaste,
A sunny weekend spent with friends from Devon at Bandipur, a small hill town sited high above the main road between Pokhora and Kathmandu. We stayed at The Old Inn, a traditional house restored in Newari style and turned into a lovely hotel. The building is full of beautiful carved wood and interesting artifacts.  Lovely food and good service too. It was nice to be spoilt for the weekend!

My room has a low ceiling and dark stained woodwork.  There is a balcony from which I can look out down the valley.

The library has comfy chairs and interesting fittings.

When it is clear there are wonderful mountain views, but sadly this weekend it has been too hazy, so have had to be satisfied with the nearby hills.  Outside on the terrace there are tables and chairs for visitors to use. We ate breakfast there each morning and we spent several hours there, sitting in the sun reading our books on Saturday afternoon.

Gateway to the lower garden.

Decorated door

Bandipur is a pedestrianised town, with no motorised traffic, making it peaceful, tranquil and very relaxing.  The Main Street is paved in stone and there are stone paths and steps leading down the hillsides between the houses. Visitors stroll around or stop for refreshments at the cafes.




There are numerous small temples to find and beautiful flowers everywhere.

A good place for a weekend away, if you live in Nepal!

Getting married

Namaste.

It was exciting to be invited to a Nepali wedding that was taking place in a village not far from Besisahar.  Manzu, one of the young women I work with, invited us to the marriage of her cousin, Sunita, although we had never met her.  We were told to come early so that we could see the preparations and watch what took place.  Everyone was very kind and welcoming and we were treated as honoured guests. 

 This was an arranged marriage as is frequent in Nepal. After the ceremony the bride will leave her family home, to live with her new husbands family, about 10 miles away. The bride was dressed in a beautiful red sari decorated with gold embroidery, red is the traditional colour for weddings and for married women.  Her hands were decorated with intricate patterns.  She looked beautiful, but very subdued and sad and maybe a little scared. 

Puja in the courtyard

In the centre of the courtyard outside her home, a small temporary mandir had been created; the upright corners of small trees supporting strings of decorations between them.  A fire had been lit in the centre and offerings had been placed on mats on the floor around it.  The bride did ‘puja’ (prayers) there just after we arrived.  

Shortly after this we were each given a tikka of rice and crimson powder and a flower placed in our hair.

The grooms party climbing the hill.

The village where the wedding was taking place is about 30 minutes walk from the road.  The groom, his family and friends came in two buses and then had to climb up the hill. They were led by a band and we could hear them coming, especially the Nepali drums and horns, well before they came into view. 

The first part of the ceremony was very short. The couple sat together by the Mandir and prayers were said with the man who seemed to be officiating. 

During the morning, one of the terraces below the house was taken over for cooking food, on fires burning in pits dug for that purpose.  Huge pans of rice and different curries were being prepared.  A long trestle table was set up on the terrace for serving the meal and red plastic garden chairs were scattered around under the trees. 

When the time came to eat the men ate first while the women all sat around the house and waited for their turn. Once all the men had eaten their fill then came the turn of the women.

I was interested to see that the bride and groom ate separately – the groom with his male friends and family, whilst the bride returned to her room with two close friends.

The band played .........

The band played and to start with only the young men danced, and some sang.  Much later a few women were encouraged to dance.  Nepali dancing for women is all about moving the arms and hands, in a very expressive way. People brought chairs to surround the dancing area and watch the dancers.

and everyone enjoyed the dancing.

While the dancing was going on, the family and friends paid their respects to the new couple.  People gradually took turns to wash the feet of the couple and to place tikka on their foreheads, whilst giving them money and presents. 

I wish the couple long life and much happiness. Many thanks for inviting us to join your special day. 

Ghamrang visit

Namaste.

We went to visit a school situated high in the hills in a very remote location.  My colleague Anzu and I were pleased to arrive there after three bus rides, an overnight stay and then about three hours walk the following morning.  The headteacher had sent someone to lead us the last part of the walk, over the ridge to reach the school, set on the steep hillside above the village of Ghamrang. 

The plan was to bring a party of teachers, one from each of the schools in the Sisters for Sisters project in Lamjung, on a visit to the school a few days later.  We went early to see the situation at the school, and if the good work we had been told about had been sustained recently. The school had been part of a 'Global Action Nepal' project to improve the teaching of English a few years before, and the teachers had been given training and encouragement to teach lessons with active student participation.

Science lesson making circuits for Class 6

On arrival we were given a warm welcome and the staff were keen to know about our project and the purpose of the forthcoming visit by the teachers from our Sisters for Sisters schools.  Then, having watched some excellent lessons that afternoon, I was very happy to confirm the visit and draw up a timetable for the day. 

English lesson with class 4

Practical maths lesson in the outdoor classroom.
(Notice the mountains on the skyline behind)

Full attention for class 8 in their  lesson outside on the grass.
At this time of the year it is cold inside the classrooms;
so much warmer to sit in the sun!

PE at the end of the day, with girls and boys
all enjoying a chasing game.

After school we walked down the steep steps leading to the village, accompanied by many of the teachers and students.  They were all keen to talk to us and point things out; the health centre, tomatoes growing under frames, cardamom plants growing as a crop and the hostel for weekly boarding students whose homes are too far away.  The village, a collection of stone and wooden houses, many with corrugated iron roofs, seemed to cling to the steep hillside, with the path of stone steps running down through the centre. 

We were welcomed into the headteachers house and shown our room.  We later discovered that his wife’s teenage brother had to sleep on the floor by the fire, as we had stolen his bedroom!  We were treated as special guests, and many villagers popped in just to see us and say ‘hello’.

There was a welcome party for a returning family member taking place nearby, with music and dancing and we were invited to watch the dancing.  The village people belong to the Gurung ethnic group, and the dancing and singing was part of their tradition, along with the colourful clothes that the dancers were wearing. The drummers and singers, all men, were sitting behind the dancing women. Again we were honoured guests, given white rice tikka and silk scarves and later a plate of sel roti (a circle of bread deep fried and crisp) to eat.  What lovely people!

Sunrise the following morning was special, seeing light gradually show up the layers of hills stretching into the far distance to the south and watching the tips of the Annapurna peaks across the valley to the north suddenly catch the sun, turn golden and then sparkling white.

Looking south over ridges of hills getting fainter into
the distance

 

Sunrise lightening the snow covered tops

Looking north to the Annapurna peaks.

What a cheery sight our host's daughter was, as she ate her daal bhat before getting ready for school.




The visiting teachers were also served with daal bhat, all cooked over a single fire by the headteacher's wife.  I would have worried about cooking for 20 people on my hob at home, but she managed magnificently.  As so many people would not have fitted into their house, we sat on straw mats in the stone courtyard in front of the house to eat our breakfast.

That morning at the school the visiting teachers were very impressed by what they saw. They asked questions, made notes and diagrams and took many photos. How good it will be to see some of the things they liked implemented in their own schools when I next visit!
Sadly, we needed to leave just after midday for the long jeep ride back to Besisahar. However we couldn't leave before receiving beautiful flower garlands from the students, and then had to have our photos taken with them, of course.  It had been a memorable visit for everyone.

Thank you so much to the staff at Ghamrang School for making our visit such a success, and for the kind welcome we had from everyone in the village.  

Daal bhat power

Namaste,
In Kathmandu you can buy a t-shirt emblazon with the slogan

"Daal Bhat power, twenty four hour!"

So what is it?  The translation says it is "lentils and rice". 

In fact daal bhat is the staple food of the Nepali people; most eat it twice a day.  Many Nepalis do not feel they have eaten unless they have had daal bhat. The first meal is in the morning before going to the office or to school, the second in the evening.

Daal bhat can be a variety of different concoctions all served together with rice and lentils or, in many households, simply rice and lentils.  The rice is just plain boiled rice. The lentils are cooked with spices in a watery sauce which is poured over the rice.  Often green, brown or black lentils are used, rather than the orange ones we generally use at home.  Rice and lentils are grown on terraces all over the country, and many people grow most of their own food near their home if possible.

In addition, daal bhat will usually be served with a portion of 'tarkari', vegetable curry made with whatever vegetables are in season.  A side dish of meat cooked in a spicy sauce may be added too, or a fried egg or bowl of yogurt for vegetarians.  Green vegetables such as spinach are cooked until soft, and often mustard oil or small seeds are mixed in. This 'saag' is served as a small portion on the side of the plate. 

A spoonful of 'Achaar', pickle, may also added to the plate.  Be careful, this can be very chili hot! (piro in Nepali) but can sometimes be like the lime or mango pickle we can buy in Indian shops in UK.

In restaurants and hotels other extras may be added to the plate; some tiny fried chips, a chapati, some sliced raw carrot and mouli radish or even a poppadom or prawn crackers on top.
A metal plate is often used, as in the photo, and the daal, meat and yogurt will be provided in small bowls for pouring over the rice as you wish.

When travelling long distances by bus there will normally be a stop at a roadside cafe/restaurant for daal bhat. A sort of Nepali motorway services, the food is all ready to serve in vast cauldrons and you move along the table adding portions of whichever dish you want.